


Low Fog

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Original Statement, Statement Fic, set just before ep. 105, the vast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22072798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: Coastal fog patch inbound...Statement of Maria Jones, regarding an encounter with a young woman during a period of intense fog at Point Pleasant Park; Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Low Fog

**Author's Note:**

> I've had on my mind recently an idea for a Vast avatar. I'm planning on another story for them, but what better way to first introduce them... than with a statement! This one works more with openness/open spaces and instances of "nothingness" like dense fog/mist (like the episode "Left Hanging"). Also this is set just before episode 105.
> 
> Inspired by/title from the song Low Fog, by S U R V I V E

Jon finds the statement hiding beneath a book on his desk as he’s packing up the tape recorder. He looks at it, confused, before pulling the few pieces of paper out from under the book. He doesn’t remember putting that there, but he figures he set it there and forgot about it; he hadn’t been back to the Institute since he was forced to flee. He’s back now though, kind of- well, not really. There’s still something else he needs to look into that’s going to keep him away for a little while longer.

He has plans to go to the Pu Songling Research Centre in Beijing, and then to America, to follow some leads. Said leads concern mostly those on Gertrude and Gerard, but he’s not set to leave till late tomorrow. Recording a statement in the meantime wouldn’t hurt, and with any luck it might be a break from all the conspiracy and mystery.

Jon puts the tape recorder back on the desk, sits down, and clicks on the device.

“Statement of Maria Jones, regarding an encounter with a young woman during a period of intense fog at Point Pleasant Park; Halifax, Nova Scotia. Original statement given October 21, 2015. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. Statement begins.”

> I’ve been to a good few places in Canada over the years. It helped a bit that where I used to live was close to Canada… well, still a good few hours from the border that separates America from Canada, but the road trips were always good. The trips themselves were still few and far in between because of the distance, but it was more about the thrill of the road trips for me. Like I said, it was always good. For the most part. There was the time I was dragged along to some town called Argyle in Nova Scotia to attend my father’s wedding, but that’s not really related.
> 
> I’ve been to Niagara Falls, Prince Edward Island, Quebec- I didn’t speak a word of French though- in my younger years, and later on it was mostly Nova Scotia. My parents divorced when I was 16, and my father got into the habit of driving up to Nova Scotia every weekend to see the woman he would eventually remarry. On occasion I would join. Those trips usually always played out the same: a three hour drive through the nothingness of Maine to the border at Calais, and then onto St. John, where we would catch a ferry across the Bay of Fundy. It was always night when we got to St. John, and there would usually be some fog at that time of night, so I never got to see St. John beyond that point.
> 
> On one occasion, I joined my father on a trip to Nova Scotia because he wanted to take me to Halifax. There’s a place up there called the Citadel, similar to Fort Knox in Bucksport. I’d never been to Halifax before, and, always in the mood for adventure, I took him up on it.
> 
> We did see the Citadel, but… it was also in Halifax where… where the incident occurred, and I saw _her_.
> 
> The trip up to Nova Scotia was the same as always, and after stopping overnight in Annapolis Royal, we headed to Halifax. The landscape was beautiful, and I reveled in the feelings of exploration and wanderlust. I think that was probably the best part.
> 
> Halifax itself was, well, about what I was expecting. Just another city; nothing too impressive. The Citadel was nice, and indeed similar to Fort Knox.
> 
> Heh… You’re probably thinking I’m rambling, but I’m getting to the point, I promise…
> 
> While we were in Halifax, I went to another place nearby called Point Pleasant Park while my father took lunch with his wife. It’s a large wooded area- about 186 acres- with a few trails on the water next to the South End Container Terminal. It’s a lovely place, really. There’s a couple things scattered along the trails to see too, like the old battery along the water’s edge.
> 
> I decided to take a stroll along the trail by the battery, maybe take some photos. Like I said, it’s on the water, so from that trail, you can look out onto the open ocean; the expanse that stretches on for miles. It looks endless at first, but then you remember that there’s actually land on the eventual other side.
> 
> Now, this day in particular was nothing particularly special in regards to the weather; nothing out of the ordinary. But… I did notice some fog rolling in as I began to walk down towards the battery. I mean, for a place like Halifax, being right on the ocean, fog from time to time was to be expected. However, it was- it was the fog, you see. It was the fog that came in, and… and…
> 
> Sorry, sorry… uh, yeah. Um…
> 
> So I came up on the battery, and the fog was coming in. I could see it. I watched it. I took this opportunity to take a few pictures of the battery, but as I did, I happened to notice a woman sitting on a bench nearby. Thinking back, I should have just let her be, but I walked over to her. I don’t know why I did it; I didn’t know her. Maybe I thought the lone sight of her against the oncoming fog would make an interesting photo, I don’t know. I still went over to her.
> 
> This woman- she looked young. Early to mid 20s. She wore this long grey cardigan and I remember her short hair being dyed a pink cotton candy color. There was also a book in her hands; Sputnik Sweetheart, I think it was called. This woman wasn’t really reading the book though. She held it in her hands, yes, but she wasn’t reading it. She was staring out ahead at the water; at the fog.
> 
> The woman didn’t seem to notice right away, so I stood there for a moment, the both of us watching the fog. It was only when I said something, commenting on the fog, did she seem to actually a knowledge my presence. She didn’t reacted all startled or anything, just… turned her head to me and smiled softly. I asked her why she was out here and she said she was reading. We talked for a few more minutes, and then I asked jokingly if she intended to stay out here and read in the fog. It's basically tiny, tiny water droplets, and I thought it would make the book pages damp.
> 
> But it was then that at that moment, the woman stood and faced me. She looked me right in the eyes and said, “I don’t mind it at all.”
> 
> Suddenly, I got this chill, and there was a rush of air. I shivered, but it was then I noticed that the fog had fully come in, surrounding us. Had it rolled in quicker than I thought? I mean, I guess that thought doesn’t matter, considering that was all I could see at the moment. The fog around us was thick; thick enough that the surroundings had become lost. The world around me was grey nothing.
> 
> It was like the world around me was gone. I was lost.
> 
> I looked back to the woman, who still was smiling. A gentle breeze through the fog was rustling her hair softly.
> 
> And in that moment- maybe it was the way she looked at me, the way she smiled, but I had to get away.
> 
> So I rushed past her, intending to get the hell away from this woman. She had begun to look like such a ghostly figure in the fog, almost like she was a part of it. Maybe she was a ghost? Who knows. I just couldn’t stay there with her. Anyway I walked by her to retrace my steps back to something familiar, but as I walked on, it felt like I wasn’t going anywhere.
> 
> There was nothing in that vast empty space of fog.
> 
> “Sorry about this.” The voice called out again. I flinched, startled, and turned to see the woman again. She still held the book in one hand.
> 
> “What are you?” I asked, my voice getting a tad frantic. “What did you-”
> 
> But she grabbed my hand with her free one before I could finish. She said, “I saw the opportunity. I just need a moment. Just… close your eyes for me? Keep your eyes closed, and when I let go of your hand, you can open them again. It’ll be okay.”
> 
> Now, I had no reason to trust her, and by this point she was being downright spooky, but despite that, I did close my eyes.
> 
> Silence passed, and then an intake of breath. Then came her voice once more.
> 
> “Thanks.”
> 
> And she let go.
> 
> And I opened my eyes.
> 
> The woman with the pink hair was gone… as was the fog, somehow. I could see everything again; the water, the sky, the city behind me. I actually found I hadn’t gone anywhere at all ether. I was still near the battery.
> 
> See, that shouldn’t have been possible. Fog that dense can’t just come and go that quickly, and certainly people can’t just disappear like that, right?
> 
> I wandered about Point Pleasant for a little while longer, trying to make sense of what had happened, but I eventually left, suddenly wanting to move away from the wooded area. I took a cab into town to see the marine maritime museum instead. I spent the rest of the trip pretending like nothing had happened. I never told anyone.
> 
> This was about four months or so ago. I’m currently on a trip here with my aunt for my cousin’s 18th birthday and I caught word of your Institute. I thought back to my experience at Point Pleasant, and… I decided to take a side trip. I don’t know if anything I say will help or mean anything, but I thought maybe I could finally tell someone. Probably won’t be of any use to you, but I… I do feel a bit better, at least having an ear to listen.
> 
> Thank you, for whatever it’s worth.

“Statement ends.”

Jon takes a moment to breathe, feeling a bit tired. Reading statements, recording them, had been leaving him like this often, but he had gradually gotten used to it. Once he feels a bit more composed, Jon looks back down at the statement, continuing the recording.

“A more… slightly mundane statement.” He observes. “The only notable event is clearly about this patch of fog and this woman. I doubt there’s anything strange about the patch of fog, as it was likely naturally occurring. No point in finding out the weather conditions of that particular day ether since this statement was taken back in 2015, and Miss Jones puts the event at four months prior.”

But he knows there’s something about this one. The tape recorder is the only thing that works for this, meaning it’s one of _those statements_. Besides, there is something else to this story.

“In a way, this one reminds me of previous statements in relation to Simon Fairchild and Mike Crew, but this statement is more focused on fog, rather than the sky or the ocean or space. There’s also the mention of the woman with the pink hair. That’s a new one. This is the first time I’ve seen mention of this particular person, but I would not know if there are any more statements like this, since Gertrude would have been the one to receive this. There’s no name to go on ether…

“Hm. There’s little to follow up on, aside from trying to get in contact with Miss Jones in case she has any more details, but this took place in Canada so there’s no point. In any case, she makes it clear she was only in London temporarily when she came here. I’m leaving for Beijing tomorrow, so I have no time to go through all this and check for anything on the other woman. However, I’ll leave a note for Martin and the others to keep an eye out for any statements mentioning her.”

He pauses here for a moment. He knows that in his absence Martin, Melanie, and Basira have been doing recordings on statements here and there (well, Basira was more recent, after Elias forced her to accept a job with the Institute). He’s heard Tim was asked to do a few as well, but flat out refused.

“I… I do worry about them; Martin, Melanie, Basira, Tim. I know things have been, well, tense to say the least, especially with Tim, but I worry. They’ve been recording statements in my place, but I know it can be… a lot sometimes. I intend to stay in contact with them while I’m gone, but I hope they’ll be alright.

“End recording.”

Jon switches off the tape recorder and writes down a note to give to Martin, placing it with the statement. If there’s more than one instance of this pink haired woman appearing in statements, it might be worth taking note of. Maybe something will turn up while he’s away.

After that he packs up the tape recorder, a few extra tapes and batteries, grabs his coat, and leaves the archives, shutting off the lights.


End file.
